Improvement in the preparation op lime and mortar



aient titte.

LEMAN B. PITGIIER, 0F SALINJL'NEW YORK.

Leiters Patent No. 106,282, dated August 9, 1870. v

IMPROVEMENT 1N 'me VPnt-:PARarrow or LIME AND Momma The Schedule referred to in the'se'Letters Patent and mak-lng part of the saxnve. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEMAN B. PITCHER, of the town ot' Salina, inthe county of Onondaga and .State of New York7 have invented a new and improved Limepreparing and Mortar-mixing Machine, and mechau ical process of doing the same; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,'and exact description ofthe same, reterencebeing had to the annexed draw-U ing making part of this speciiication.

.lhel letters used represent corresponding parts wherever they occur.

. To enable others to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same, its mode of operation, and the manner in which it may b e applied to practical use.

Figurel represents a perspective view, and

Figure 2, a cross-sectional view.

his invention relates to slaking and reducing quicktime with water to a soft orliquidized paste, and separating therefrom the lime granulates and dregs, and mixing it, when required, with sand, hair, or other materials, into mortal' compounds, by means of a circular vat and a circular motion given and applied to the machinery and matelials therein. In my endeavors toprepare lime for and to make mortar'by steam or other motive-powers, the want of a way to slake lime with economy and dispatch in quantities, and handle and prepare it for use by machinery and power, has become apparent to me.

I- .To meet' that want of a way, I construct a fiat,

round, and basinshaped cistern or vat, A, ten feet, more or less, across,v with outer walls or rim B,- rising two feet, more or less'. The bottom may be made ot' two-inch (more or less) plank, bard wood .or other materials heilig best, ano. let into the rim or staves.

The rim may be made of staves, standing nearly upright, two inches thick and tive inches wide, more or less, of wood or other suitable material, with iron hoops to hold it together. Any part of the va-t may be made of any other suitable materials, in any mechanical manner.

In the'center of the vat I erect a round shaft, C, or post, eight inches, more or less, in diameter, and one inch, more or less, higher than the rim of the vat, with a center part three inches, more or less, in diameter, standing four inches higher, more or less, than the larger part of the post, the post to be fastened to the place by any mechanical means.

Two working sweeps or sweep-frames, D `I), each twelve inches wide and one and one-halt' inch thick, more or less, either way, with a hole eight 'and onehalf inches, more or less, in diameter, in one end of `each, are made to tit in aneasy manner around said post 0, and reach toward and nearly to, yet not touch,

the inner periphery of opposite sides ofthe vat or rim.-

They are to be adjusted one above the other, so as not to interfere with each other, and to work easy around the post, and made to move or swing around in the vat A. 1

.To the under side ofthe lower sweep, D', is aiixed, near their middle Scrapers f f f j; in Aseries made onehal finch thick, four inches wide, and fteen to twentytive inches long either way, more or less, made fast to the face of and extending one or both ends outwardly Y.

and sidewise downwardly from said working sweep once in six inches,more orless, standing or'positioned obliqnelytothe line of length of the sweep D', and so adj usted that the back end of the first scraper on the lower sweep D shallmove in a-ercle ten inches, more or less, from the post C, while the forward end ofthe first scraper shall follow the circular track made by uthe back end ofthe second scraper in series, while the forward end of the second scraper shall follow the cir,- cle ot' the backend ofhthe thirldgscraper, and so on until the forward end of the last scraper on sweep f f ff shall follow the inner periphery of the outer wall or riniB. One action of this working sweep when worked alone is, that the series of Scrapers shall work" more and collectthe granulates and dregs of-lime iu a pile around the ceuterpost G.

rlhe other or uppermost working sweep, D, is to be."

armed and provided with like Scrapers attached to the sweep D in a like manner, with this difference, that they are to be six inches, more or less, wide, and' so. positioned and adjusted as to work move, and leave room for, and to pile up the dregsaround the outer periphery B of the vat when worked alone. IThe combined action of both working, moving, and swinging around atthe same time is to cause the liinc-pastes and. dregs to be moved. alternately` outwardly and inwardly, and at the same time circuitonsly, around in f the vat, whereby the lime dregs are kept spread ont over the bottom of the vat, which action and result, in combination with the rapid whirling or run-around mot-ion given to the fluid paste in said vatY readily reduces and washes out all ,tine and available limes from the lime dregs.

When so washed out, the second working sweep, D, may be lifted orstayed up to bar G, and leave sweep D to keep up the whirling and washing motion, and at the same time to collect the remaining limedregs around post C, from whence they ma y be removed by a shovel or by other means.

`All parts of this machine may he made of wood, iron, or other suitable materials. NVol-king sweeps D and D should weigh twenty pounds, more or less, to each foot in length.

By this process the lime dregs can be quicker and cheaper worked and separated from the tine lime or fluid paste than by any other process known to me.

wide, more or less, either way, with a swell iu the middle,-with a hole in the center to fit to the small and Yupper end 'ot' post C, and long enough, or a little more, than to reach from side to sideot' the vat A A, is to be adj usted on said post, so that it can revolve around.

Working sweeps are each to be connected by a chain or other' suitable means to sweep-bar, ator near their outercnds, in such a manner that working sweeps D' and "D shall be positioned and follow at near right angles, moreor less, to sweep-barCr, to the end that working sweeps may have'liberty to rise and i'all Vwhile working through the. crude paste in vat A.

When about to slake lime, I prefer to raise and attach working sweeps D' and' D to sweep-bar G lby means of chains or by other means, that it may be out ot the way.

The working operation may be stated thus:

Into vat A, I put and 'spread a wagon-load of lime, of sixty bushels, more or less, at a time, and add without delayall the water which the lime will absorb in slaking, -and no more. I prefer to cover the vat to keep the heat in, lthat'the lime may slake quicker and better, and to 1etit remain at Arest one hour, more or less, according to circumstances. l

The amount of water and the time required will depend upon the quality of the lime, which varies in different localities, and, as a result, no definite amount or time can be given, lbut the same may be determined.

by experiment with theliine to be s laked.

- It requires as much or .more time to slake three to e eight bushels of lime at a time iu the usual manner as it does to slake sixty bythis process and machinery. lo stil` up and thoroughly wash out by hand the 4lime-dregs of eight to sixty bushels ata time is a very 'horse to the outer end ot sweep-'bar G, and trot him .around atthe. rate ot' fifteen Atimes per minute, more he more rapid the paste is moved ou the door of the vat, the sooner all available limes may be worked linto and held in a running or liquid mass. With such motion the lime in thevat is soon reduced to a`ilow. ing or half liquid condition, and the lime dregs fall to the bottom 'ot 'the vat, where they are actively cufted and moved bythe Scrapers ff f f-in such a manueras to soon reduce all soft or putty-like dregs to auid paste. This result is facilitated by the rushing, whirling, and washing motion given to the fluid mass. l I

:have named the horse as the motive-power, because,

in many instances, his use will be most convenient,

yet any other power may be applied in the way described, or in any other mechanicalmanner.

The lime dregs may be worked to the center, as described, or to the periphery, and taken out with the shovel, or by any'other means;` or the dregs maybe deposited in av sink, pocket, or bucket, sunk or 'made in machine and combinations, andthe mechanical process employed.

I have made and employed working sweeps f f f f, in combination with sweeps Dand D, and vat A, and other parts of the machine, as means well adapted to do the workdesoribed, and make available the mechanical process employed, yet I do not wish it understood that I believe-it or them the only means.

I do hold that the vat should be round, or nearly so. It maybe tlat or otherwise at bottom. .The sides may heperpendicular, or sloping, 01' otherwise. The post may be-larger orv smaller, stationary, or moving, or be dispensed with. The frame of working sweep S may work in, or above, or out of the materials being wrought. The part S may be made in the malte and form described, or in any other equivalent manner.

- The indispensable and distinguishing characteristics ot" thismechanical processare the, doing ofthe work de- -scribed by means of a circular vat, and a circular motion given and applied to the vmachinery and materials therein by means of the'machinery described, or any erwise further worked by any other means, oras a lime-paste preparer, as herein more fully set forth.

This machine, with its movements, actions, and results, may also be employed to reduce clay with water t'o a dowingmass, and separate sand or gravel therefrom, after which the water lmay be allowed to separate from the clay-paste and be drawn or evaporated oli', by which means and process a superior article of clay may he prepared for the purposes of' brick, tile, or pottery-work. l

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent o't' the United States,ise 1. The mechanical process of slakiug and preparing lime for use, substantially in the manner and for the purposes described.

2. The improved mortar-mixing ,machine herein shown, consisting ofthe vat A, post C, andv sweeps D D', when the latter are hung loosely upon said post,

and provided with blades f f f, all constructed, arranged, and operated -in theinanner and for the purpose set forth.

. LEMAN B. PITCHER.

Witnesses.:

.N B. SMITH,

J. B. SABINE. 

